MMA Style Workout

Want to train like a fighter, without getting punched in the face?

However, what a lot of people don’t actually realize is that being a fighter means you have to get punched and kicked, a lot, and only a certain kind of person can actually handle that. And while getting hit in the face sucks, the conditioning is just as tough; the hard work and dedication needed can deter a lot of people from the fight game as well.

When it comes to fight time, if you aren’t in top physical condition and you gas out, you’re done. It’s as simple as that.

“Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”

At our gym, Just Fitness and Warrior Strong Fight League, we have boxing, kickboxing, MMA and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, so I coach and train a lot of fighters. Right now we are three weeks out from fight night and last night one of our fighters had to train alone, which is never fun, so I did the workout with him. I’ll be honest, I didn’t get to the puking stage— but man, this was the hardest workout I’ve done in a long time.

Give this workout a try!

The Workout:

You’re going to do 4 rounds, 5 minutes in length, of 30 seconds on/30 seconds on of two movements, with 30 seconds rest between each round.

The movements:

Round 1: Plyo Lunges/Burpee Pull-Ups

Round 2: 20″ Box Jumps/Chest to Floor Push-Ups

Round 3: 5 lbs. Dumbbell Jabs/Squat Jumps

Round 4: 20 lbs. Wall Balls/Burpees

How it works:

In round 1 you’re doing 30 seconds of plyo lunges and then without resting, 30 seconds of burpee pull-ups, followed by 30 seconds of plyo lunges and then back to 30 seconds of burpee pull-ups. This continues, non-stop, for 5 minutes. Once done of your first round, you rest for 30 seconds, and then you’re onto round 2. This cycle continues until all four rounds are done. Your goal is to not stop!

Why we do it this way:

On fight night our fighters only fight three 3 minute rounds, with 90 seconds rest between each round. In actuality, when in training, we work them up to five 5 minute rounds. The reason we do more rounds with only 30 seconds rest between is to get them used to being able to go longer and recover faster. Being able to recover in 30 seconds gives us 60 seconds to give direction and converse with the fighter between rounds.